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Book Review: Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
🦄 When I first read “What you Wish For” by Katherine Center I fell in love with her writing style. Each of her books contain so many emotions! Readers can feel love, hate, sympathy, laughter and healing, all in one book. Reading her books feel like drinking warm coffee under a blanket on a cold rainy morning.
🦄 Sadie Montgomery, a budding artist, finally finds her big break when she makes it to the list of top ten contestants in a prestigious portrait painting competition. Unfortunately, few weeks before the finals, she undergoes a brain surgery which leaves her with a temporary face blindness, also known as prosopagnosia.
To make things worse, she falls in love with two men and doesn’t even know what they look like. Her beloved dog, Peanut and her best friend Sue, are the only family she has, and can trust now. Will she be able to sort her life?
🦄 The book has 325 pages and 32 chapters. I loved the way the author has mentioned about face blindness in her notes and spread awareness regarding the same. The themes of found family, repair of lost bonds and happy endings are beautifully described in the story. Highly recommended to readers who are looking for a feel good romance with a touch of humor. Needless to say, this book is going into my reread list.
🦄 Rating : 5✨️/5✨️
Book Review: The Reappearance of Rachel Price
Rachel Price went missing 16 years ago and her family is now invited to shoot a true crime documentary on the events that led to her disappearance. Her then 2-year old daughter, Bel has constantly lived in the shadow of her mother’s missing identity and her father Charlie is her support system. The story takes a turn when Rachel turns up with little memory of the captivity and their lives are never the same. The title pretty much gives away the plot twist but there’s one more at the very end.
After finishing A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, Holly Jackson became my auto-buy author. Absolutely adored her characters, her writing style and the stories she weave. Needless to say, The Reappearance of Rachel Price was one of my most anticipated read of the year, but sadly it didn’t live upto the mark. Not to mention, the protagonist Bel, was a bit annoying at times. The plot was gripping but a bit hard to believe. The character of Rachel Price had been through a lot in the story but couldn’t win the reader’s heart. The ending did justice to the book and I’m glad I was able to finish it. I like Jackson’s writing style that makes the readers wonder if you can really trust someone you’ve known your entire life.
Book Review: We are all guilty here by Karin Slaughter
🪶 This is the first book I read by Karen Slaughter and I’m already a fan now. She knows how to make the perfect combination of thrill, heartache, plot twist and then put it in her novel.
🪶 Emmy is a police officer who is investigating the kidnapping of two teenagers in North Falls, Madison and Cheyenne. Madison, who also happens to be the daughter of her best friend Hannah, wanted to say something to Emmy before she disappeared, and the guilt of it made her even more determined to find the girls. Little did she know that the people around her were not as simple as they portrayed themselves to be. Will Emmy and her team be able to solve this mystery and punish the criminal?
🪶 This is the first book in her new series but it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone too. The book took me around 13 hours to complete but be rest assured it didn’t drag for even one second. I really enjoyed reading it even though it was single POV and narrated in third person.
Definitely recommended to teenagers, their parents and guardians and all thriller lovers. Trigger warnings include homicide, abduction, molestation and descriptions of trauma. But the ending was definitely worth the read.
🪶 RATING: 5✨️/5✨️
The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods
🧁Edie left her home in Ireland to embark on a journey in another country. She thought working in a bakery in Paris will be her opportunity of a fresh start, until she realizes that the job is not in Paris but in Northern France. While Edie was prepared for the initial discomfort of the new place, she definitely did not anticipate what awaited her.
🧁This book is a beautiful saga of grief, love, found family and hope. The story alternates between the dual timeline. Edie narrates her own and Hugo Chadwick’s story. On the other hand, Pierre Moreau’s story is narrated in third person, set in the backdrop of the second World War in France. The plot is not very fast paced but once the reader is invested in the story, it quickly gets interesting. Not to mention the lovely hot chocolate recipe and the mouth watering description of patisserie and desserts that accelerated my sweet craving. The songs mentioned in this book are what made me a fan of jazz music now.
Not to mention, the cute handwritten notes that the MMC sent to the FMC were such a cute detail in the book.
🧁One thing I would have liked more was if the MMC narrated his own side of the story instead of it being narrated in third person. Also, the book was marketed as having an angle of magic but haunting would have been more accurate.
🧁Overall it was a well researched book, with a unique haunting style, pinch of historical fiction and a slice of romance and family bonds. Recommended to everyone, especially if you’re looking for a cozy read with no spice and a happy end.
🧁RATING: 4🌟/5🌟
Book Review: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride
🪻 The book begins with a promise of a dark fairytale in a Gothic atmosphere and is narrated by two of the three main characters, Azure and the Bridegroom. On one hand, the Bridegroom narrates how he met his beautiful wife, Indigo who made him look forward to their fantastic life in exchange of a promise that he shall never pry into her past or her secrets.
🪻 On the other hand Azure narrates how she met Indigo as a child and found a home in Indigo’s House of Dreams. She also explains Indigo’s obsession with fairytale and her faith that she is one of them, destined to go to the Otherworld when her time comes. As they grow up, Indigo and Azure becomes inseparable and a reflection of each other until one day Azure disappears from the face of the earth, much like the Bridegroom’s younger brother who went missing as a child.
🪻 This is my first read by Roshani Chokshi and given the hype around this book and the author, I was expecting a better plot. Nevertheless the narration was lucid and fast paced. The Last hundred pages were so suspenseful that it kept me up late at night and made me finish the book first thing in the morning. The book has everything for a Gothic fiction, eerie setting, dark magic, cruel rituals and secrets. The ending was very satisfying and I felt it worth my time. Recommended to thriller/Dark Fantasy fans.
Book Review: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
🥀QOTD : Your recent book purchase/ TBR addition?
🥀 This very famous dystopian fiction needs no introduction, but if I were to sum up my emotional state while reading this book, in two words, it would be “Emotional Damage”.
🥀 The blurb of this book states the author’s “frightening vision” of the future in which the country of Oceania is controlled by an entity called the Big Brother. The protagonist Winston Smith lives in the same society and works at the ministry of Truth. When he decides to be a secret rebel and fall in love with Julia, in a world where all love is forbidden except for the love towards Big brother, he will have to face dire consequences for his actions.
🥀 Although a classic example of tasteful dystopian fiction, this book is more damaging than I was prepared to handle. I stayed strong throughout the entire book, but the last two chapters forced me to shed a tear or two. I found this book relatable with the current scenario and that broke my heart 💔. Anyways, it was in my TBR for a long time and I’m happy I finally finished it. If this book is in your TBR, I suggest to pair it up with some light hearted romantic novels. This book is a must read for everyone.
Will probably be picking up a light and funny book next, so any recommendation will be appreciated.
Thank you! Have a nice day 💕
🥀 RATING: 4.5🌟/5🌟
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
🌴 Here I have a holiday romance suggestion for you all. The Unhoneymooners is about Olive, an otherwise luck forsaken woman who recently lost her job and is quite disappointed with her life. That is, until everyone in her twin sister Ami’s wedding is down with food poisoning, except her and Ethan, the best man. The next thing she knows, she is obliged to go on the honeymoon with her sworn enemy, Ethan, pretending to be a married couple.
🌴 Given that the book is an enemies to lovers rom com, the plot is obviously quite predictable. However the writing style is lucid and hilarious enough to keep the reader going. I was looking for a light, hearty novel and I am glad I choose this book. This book has everything that we often dream of, a handsome and caring lover, a diverse yet supportive family and trip to an exotic holiday location.
The book is mostly narrated by Olive, but Ethan has a small contribution in the end. The book has twenty chapters and took me around ten days to finish, given that I was taking it slow. Recommended to every romance reader out there!
Book Review: Punk 57
🎸 Misha and Ryen are pen friends since the fifth grade. They share every detail of their life with each other over letters until one day, when they finally come face to face. After the encounter, Ryen stops receiving Misha’s letters but continues to write to him in hope that someday he’ll reply. However, what follows next isn’t something Ryen was prepared for.
🎸 Punk 57 is a standalone adult romance novel. The story is told from two POVs, Ryen’s and Misha’s. Although the ending was quite predictable for me the plot was intriguing and enjoyable. The writing style and character building is praiseworthy. Although I did not like the character of Ryen first, it was great to see her flourish in the end.
🎸 Strong themes such as childhood trauma, bullying and moving on in life are covered in this book. It also addresses the human urge to fit in, so much that one loses their individuality and how it is harmful. Lastly, the attractive cover and the playlist recommended in the book are something I am grateful for. I picked up the book just for fun but it taught me some important lessons. Recommended to readers who are 18+ and enjoy high school romance novels.
🎸 RATING: 4.5🌟/5🌟
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
🥀 Jess, just after leaving her waitressing job, decides to visit her only family, her stepbrother, Ben. Ben is a renowned journalist, living in a posh apartment in Paris. It is only when Jess arrives in Paris and finds her brother is missing, she realize things are darker than they look. The occupants of this apartment are far more heinous than their posh facade can afford to cover. Will Jess be able to find her brother in this unwelcoming city?
🥀 This is my first book by Lucy Foley and I can strongly recommend this as a masterpiece. From the very beginning, it gives this uncanny insight to the reader which gets darker as the story proceeds. Multiple characters and their point of view is what makes the plot even more thrilling. The ending is great and totally unpredictable. At some points I got Agatha Christie vibes from this book and I really liked it! It took me around 4 hours to complete this book. In my opinion it was fast paced and a gripping thriller. The main theme of the book was the age old saying “blood is thicker than water” and ” how far will you go to protect your family?” A very pragmatic and compassionate story that will warm your heart and give you chills at the same time.
Under the whispering door by T J KLUNE
🌛 Thank you @netgalley and @torbooks for the eARC.
🌛 The moment I finished reading The house in the Cerulean sea, I was eagerly waiting for this one. Unlike the previous book, which dealt with children and life, this one dealt with death and after life. However, it was quite beautifully executed by the author. It can be rightly claimed that only T J Klune can take up such a sensitive theme of grief and trauma and turn it into hope and healing.
🌛 Under the whispering door is a humorous tale of life after death with queer protagonists. The story is narrated in third person, starring a grumpy middle aged lawyer, Wallace Price. The story starts when he dies and finds himself in a strange place that apparently is impossible to explain with logic. There he meets Hugo, who is known as a ferryman. A ferryman is someone who is supposed to help you move forward through a door in the ceiling post your death. At first, Wallace is reluctant to accept the reality of his death but eventually he not only changes his attitude towards life but also find a family. A beautiful saga built from elements which are otherwise considered as disturbing or triggering, this book is a must read for everyone. It was published on 21st September. It takes approximately 9 hours to complete the book. The cover, the characters and of course, the typical slow burn romance are sure to keep you hooked to the book, just like Wallace was hooked to Hugo.🤭
🌛 To sum up, this book feels like a home, a lovely family and a warm, tight hug. All in one combo. The lesson that this book teaches us is that sometimes we need to die in order to truly live. Highly recommended!
🌛RATING: 5🌟/5🌟
ink hearted 